Sharmeka Moffitt: Allegedly Attacked by KKK for wearing Obama Shirt

***Update: Police state Sharmeka was not wearing an Obama shirt. The fact still remains this woman was burned by three men. Why don’t the police have them in custody why aren’t they reporting the race and gender of the assailants Draw your own conclusions. The family has yet to come forward, and I won’t believe ANYTHING from the police until it is confirmed by the family. Continue to lift up Sharmeka and the Moffitt family. There is also a Facebook page calling for national media coverage, please like.

A friend alerted me about this tragic story and I can’t sleep. The ugly KKK dragon has reared its head once again spewing hate, violence, and racism. On October 21, 2012 Sharmeka Moffitt was allegedly attacked and burned by 3 white men, supposed members of the KKK, while walking through a trail in Winnsboro, LA. What was her offense you ask? Other than being black,Sharmeka was daring enough to exercise her right to the freedom of speech as a citizen of this nation, and boldly proclaim her support for the Democratic candidate Barack Obama by wearing a shirt supporting his campaign. That is all. I guess the cowardly KKK is still recovering from the President’s debate performance and decided to unleash their hate on poor Sharmeka. Whatever fueled their rage is not important. The issue is their attack on an innocent woman and the media’s lack of attention to Sharmeka’s story.

Republicans and the Tea Party incite racism to rally support from scumbags like the KKK, and I feel like they are partly to blame as well. During this election cycle there has been an overload of racist fueled propaganda to undermine the President and his humanity. Where do we draw the line? There has to be some accountability when innocent people are attacked simply for supporting a political party. This is not 1961, nothing can stop black people from participating in the democratic process so get over it. We have a black president, it has already made history and there is nothing you can do to change that FACT. And black people have a voice. So, to the backwoods terrorists who think they can perpetuate violence and hate, think again. You will be found and tried for your heinous acts. Justice shall be served. So, follow this story and do not hesitate to voice your outrage. Praying for Sharmeka and her family. She survived, thank God, but she is in ICU suffering form 3rd degree burns. Keep your head up lady, you are a strong woman and we are here for you.

man wake up, they dont know who it was but they know how many of them?? If the police are in the klan dont you think they will say this to protect their brothers? People like you need to wake up because the race war has never ended and like ebony said, people from that area know how the police are. Racism is alive and well.

Why does it have to say Alledgely…Nobody who isnt apart of the KKK will write something like on someones car;
reguardless if we could see their face or not…regardless if the people under the hood were black white purple green or orange, the fact
of the matter is THEY HAD NO RIGHT! YES the police confirmed she wasnt wearing an Obama shirt, however they also confirmed
what was written on the car…so with just that information alone..it is A HATE CRIME…and the cowards should be punish…dont hide under a sheet
BE A MAN ABOUT YOURS- COME ON PEOPLE ITS TIME TO STOP TRYING SUGAR CODE THINGS
AND KEEP IT COMPLETELY 100…

Anyone from this area know how the Frankling Parish Police Dept. are. This is down south Louisiana. We go through racial crap all the time and it goes unreported. The police would say this is not a hate crime so they would not have to do any work. I wonder what if it was three black male and a white girl would they call it a hate crime? Sometimes before you speak you got to look and see what it would be like if the shoe was on the other feet.

Whether she was wearing an obama shirt or not, the fact of her being burned is wrong. This may not be south of Louisiana but it is Louisiana which is in the South! Things such as this do go on, we may not here about it everyday(thank God) but it happens. It is not a violence promotion issue, it’s just the simple fact that we are from the south, and we know the people we are surrounded by are racist. If this situation was turned around, justice would have been served. Every police officer in the state would have been trying to find the person who burned a white female, no ifs, ands, or buts about it!

The police have not done their job yet! Now suppose some of her relatives take matters into their own hands, then you would holla, fowl play! YOU MUST BE PART OF THE KKK YOURSELF TALKING SO RECKLESS WHEN THERE IS SOMEONE FIGHTING FOR HER LIFE! LET SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPEN TO YOUR BUTT AND SEE HOW FAST YOU WILL BE SAYING “LET THE POLICE HANDLE THEIR JOB”! BELIEVE ME YOU YOURSELF WOULD WANT TO HANDLE IT!

There is no way for you to know the race of the people who attacked her unless you were there. Also, the Franklin Parish Police Dept. consists of officers that are white and black. So unless there are racist black men in the dept., this is not a race issue with the police. They have only had a whole 12 hours to investigate.

OK BUT PUT IT LIKE THIS…if the young girl was a white female who reported an African american man attacked her
they would have pulled every man over who fit her description, but a young lady is raped and burned being left for dead, and because she states
they had on white hoods and it could be a hate crime everyone wants to sweep it under the rug!
WRONG IS WRONG REGARDLESS OF WHAT SHE WEARING. It feels as if her
story is being looked at as a small thing or something not too serious, when at the end of the day
she is a baby, someone daughter and her life along with the lives of her loved ones will forever
be affected…Dont minimize it by constantly finding ways to minute the situation.

I too am from the area. Without a doubt this was indeed a racially motivated hate crime. They (the Sheriff’s Department) dont’ want Brother Al to get involved, and they will do whatever necessary to keep this whole incident out the public eye. On another site someone made the best point ever, how do the police know whether she had an Obama T-shirt on. When they saw her she had been burned…do you think they could positively say whether she had an Obama T-shirt on. The family knows more about what she was wearing when she left home than the police. I heard about this early morning and I have attempted to just move on thru the day, but it just keeps plaguing me. My sympathy goes out to both her and her family. Let’s all do what we can to make sure this incident doesn’t go unnoticed.

and where did u get your facts from the news? are you apart of the family..close to the family..were u there
when she was rescued..NO so at the end of the day it doesnt matter what didnt happen to her
what matters is what did happen to her..dnt try to make the situation better by stating what didnt happen it just makes you look hateful and ugly

So if you know it’s three white men why don’t the police have them in custody? If she had an Obama shirt on why did the State Police say she did NOT??? Please, you are causing more stink!! Do all a favor and delete your stupidity!!

YOU TELL ME HOW HARD IT IS TO FIND THREE MEN WITH WHITE HOODIES ON FOR ALL THAT
IM SURE THEY WOULD BE IN CUSTODY…YOU ARE CAUSING MORE STINK CAUSE THE MORE U SAY CREEPY STUFF LIKE
THAT THE MORE IRRITATED THOSE WHO HAVE HEARTS GET MAD…OBVIOUSLY THIS DOES NOT PHASE YOU SO LEAVE IT ALONE
IM SURE TH NEXT SARAH THAT GOES MISSING WILL HAVE YOU COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING UNTIL THEN BACK OFF

You have no solid facts behind this post.The only statement CONFIRMED BY THE POLICE says that she was attacked and burned (no race or gender specified), and that she was not wearing an Obama shirt. This only happened last night, and nobody knows what else really happened yet except for those involved and the police investigating the crime. At this point, prayer is the most helpful thing to do. NOT posting stories fueled by race and politics. I don’t know if you, for some reason, know more than the police, but If your story doesn’t match up when the facts from investigators come ou,t it will actually make her story LESS credible. How many people do you think will care about this story when they see something that doesn’t add up? They will call BS on the whole thing and move along. So just think about what you’re saying and how it could actually have a NEGATIVE impact. JUSTICE COMES THROUGH TRUTH, not hear-say.

so what you are saying is that possibly 3 black men put on kkk outfits burned a black woman and call her the n- word,im just going to call you a liar because i know you mite be racist but you aint that stupid.

I must have missed the part where the news story says anything about the KKK or an Obama t-shirt. Wait, it does say something about an Obama t-shirt- she wasn’t wearing one! Way to politicize and tragedy- and fail miserably. Next time, wait for the facts to emerge before spouting off nonsense.

Ebony, I totally agree withyou on this,,,It is no that far from jena, LA so to say the least it is a sin and a shame for this to have happened to this young woman. Le’s just keep her and her family in our prayers.

Yea that’s what the police said, man I live in Monroe,La not to far the Police write stuff up the way they see it not u explain it especially if u black, all they do here is pull ppl over to give a ticket or make a bust on drugs but ppl get off killing and robbing off black ppl but if a poor black kid do it to other race it’s five years etc no one black hate other race but we do hate not been treated equally with other races, it is hard to trust our own race now but other race have a history of treating blacks this way and that haven’t died over night

I AM FROM JONESBORO LOUISIANA AND I BELIEVE THEY DID IT …. THIS WOULDNT HAPPENED ANYWHERE ELSE THAN LOUISIANA WHERE THE PUNK KKK DWELL …. IF THEY, THEIR CAUSE, AND HISTORTY DIDN’T EXIST, they would “never” BE SUSPECTED FOR THIS BUT THIS HAS “KKK” WRITTEN ALL OVER IT !!!! I’M GONNA DO MY PART AS A “B L A C K” MAN TO TELL THE BLACK FOLK IN MY CITY, THE NAACP, THE NEWS STATIONS, AND ANYBODY ELSE I CAN REACH …. MAY GOD HAVE “WRATH” ON THOSE THAT CONSPIRED TO DO THIS YOUNG LADY LIKE THIS BECAUSE WHO SHE BELIEVES SHOULD BE PRESIDENT !!!!! B L A C K. P O W E R

Now the facts are out, she done it to herself. So all u dumb n_____s can shut ya sh*t up. If it was a race crime than y’all have it wrong. She should be charged with insinuating a race war by giving u dumb n______s something else to cry about like the white man owes u something. Her welfare check musta been short or she was having a bad day with one of her 5 babydaddies.

listen here you im gonna tell you it straight im not black but i do have respect for them she did nothing wrong so just because you dont like black ppl dont mean you should start saying all this crap you dont knoe anything about her or her personal problems so i expect you to shut up and stay in your place because if you dont care then leave it alone why comment if you think she is guilty you just sound stupid and stupider by the minute!!!!!!!!!!!!

hi my name is shannon n that is so messed up that,that happen 2 her all because she was wearing a obama shirt come on wen is that going racism stuff going 2 stop.i hope sharmeka pulls throw n b strong n stand up n b heard because that is wrong 4 them 2 do because she was wearing a shirt COWARD AZZ PPL.

Race is only an issue when a black “may” have been assaulted by a white person. anyone pay any interest to the Minnesota State fair when the blacks kept attacking whites old folks, women and children unprovoked! The KKK what about the NAACP, If I began a National Association for the Advancement of White Peoples would it be ok? psssss Obama is half black half white…..nuff said

you don’t have to start that because the whites run this country so you don’t need to advance anymore.Blacks on the other hand are fighting to be treated equal which will never happen, why? because whites do not like blacks…not all but most..and that is why black people are racist towards them…2 wrongs don’t make a right but it damn sure makes it even..

first thing people like me may have never heard of some state fair thing and second white people stole this country you don’t need advancement for white people the country is already yours and third what statement you think you made by saying barack is half white that it couldn’t be racism thing WAKE UP !!!!!!!!!

Yes, the police have stated that she was not wearing a shirt in support of Obama. But what exactly does this mean? Does this minimize the fact that a woman of African descent was set on fire for some unknown reason in the south. Historically, the south has been known for some of the most treacherous acts of racism, therefore this situation should not be taken lightly. The fact that there is so little information on this case and that it is not receiving mass media coverage is another example of the kind of institutional racism that plagues the lives of all people of color in the United States of America. We all know to well that if this was another girl of a different skin color, that it would be the first news story on Yahoo, CNN, or whatever your news source is.

In terms of the police not knowing who the suspects are, the U.S police officers have a legacy of corruption and manipulation of the facts. To think that they are operating on a fair and just system is simply being ignorant to the way in which the law enforcement system works. As has been seen with cases like Trayvon Martin, Sean Bell, Alesia Thomas, and countless others, we as a people cannot take everything that police say or do as fact and just.
All I can say, is that we should definitely keep a close eye on this case. Because at the end of the day.

This was as the author puts “a heinous act” and unsettling act and we all should outraged!

With 90% of her body burned how would they know what she was wearing anyway? Her clothes had to be consumed in fire in order for her skin and body to be burned. Just a thought. Either way this is a really sad story.

This is tragic. I am angered at this event. But I would want my concern to allow me to do more than “throw a rock at an army tank” What I’d like to know is what kind of political action will the community take against what has been described by some of you as ongoing racial insults and attacks. Obviously, the police are an historical part of the problem. That is not unusual… Many of them are probably KKK themselves. What type of organization’s is the community involved in and inform us of how we can become involved as well

First, she wasn’t wearing any political shirt. There was never any evidence to this assertion, but nevertheless it was made. Politically, Louisiana doesn’t particularly like Romney, the state went to Ron Paul by 75~%.

Second, It’s not confirmed that there were any KKK references left. It’s merely “rumored”. Beyond that, they don’t know how many people were involved in this assault and race isn’t known. There have been reports that it was a single black male – no one knows, it’s all speculation at this point.

Point is – no one knows anything other than she has burns to 90% of her body and is recovering at LSU-Shreveport.

The police have also dispelled the rumor that she was raped.

You’re race baiting. Instead you should offer support to the girl and her family instead of posting as fact something that we now know to be untrue. You should also refrain from making generalizations about the South and communities there-in. Winnsboro has a black mayor and black police chief just so you know. Crimes can happen anywhere at any time. You should be calling for real justice and for whoever is responsible to be apprehended and punished instead of inciting racism based on lies.

For the record, I grew up in Winnsboro – bottom line is you don’t know the community.

LIKE I JUST SAID TO ANOTHER PERSON ARE YOU SAYING 3 BLACK MEN DRESSED LIKE THE KKK BURNED A BLACK WOMAN AND CALLED HER THE N- WORD PLEASE DO ME A FAVOR DON’T BE STUPID AS WELL AS RACIST JUST READING YOUR COMMENTS I CAN TELL YOU ARE NOT BLACK

“Police state Sharmeka was not wearing an Obama shirt. The fact still remains this woman was burned by three men. Why don’t the police have them in custody why aren’t they reporting the race and gender of the assailants Draw your own conclusions. ”

Please quit inciting crap. The police said she didn’t specify race of the men. And maybe they don’t have them in custody because they haven’t found them yet. Unless police got to the scene before she made the 911 call, the attackers probably fled quickly.

the police have confirmed that KKK was written on her car hood and that the three men were wearing white hoodies. i am from franklin parish and am horrified by what happened. there is racism but i have not known the klan to active in 30 years. also just to make clear this crime happened inside the city limits of winnboro which has a black mayor and black police chief who is heading the investigation.

You know, even though you have the disclaimer, you still have the bold, inaccurate proclamations posted. So you’re not really stating that what you’ve stated is wrong…you’re still sticking to your story–which, of course, is irresponsible “journalism.”

It’s race baiting when you come out with untrue statements like “Obama T-Shirt” and “White KKK”. That’s playing up race before any facts are even know… which is race baiting.

We have men in white hoodies and KKK on the car. None of that includes any race… but it’s easier to make assumptions or just make things up (Obama Shirt) than it is to wait for facts – espscially given that it isn’t being labeled a hate crime yet – and that’s the FBI not labeling it as such, no the rural racist police.

Maybe the writer should have waited for the facts before jumping on a sensationalized story that has so many gaps and lies in it.

I’m so sorry that this woman was attacked. I’m so sorry that you feel that all republicans support the hate of the KKK. I’m sorry you feel the need to try to spread this kind of heresy that divides people. There are people who choose to hate and when we hate them, we are like them. I choose not to hate those people. I hate their actions, but I do not hate them. I hate the accusations you have written here, but I do not hate you. I think you are beautiful and fearfully and wonderfully made. I love you because God made you as He made me…a woman to be dearly loved. God bless you for trying to take on the injustices of the world but please, love is the answer. Not anger and not more hate.

WHO’S FOOLING WHO??? Does “FBI” stand for “FOOLISH BEYOND IMAGINATION?” I would think, an innocent black female beaten and burned by 3 coward ass white punks who inscribed “kkk”, on her vehicle, Is nothing but RACIALLY MOTIVATED. Had this been done by 3 black guys to a white female; at 8:01 there would have been road blocks set up every damn where. Stopping and harassing EVERY black male in sight. Knocking on their doors even. Innocent or not. They would most likely, already have suspects in custody. Sharmeka, you are continuously in my prayers.

Well, everything you said would be considered if any of it were true. The fact is, no one inscribed KKK on her vehicle, no one beat her. I’m sorry you feel like one particular race is unfairly treated, its’ sad you sound like you want to believe what you say.

The dumb black bitch burned herself. So if it was a hate crime it was hateful towards white people. Idk if she wanted attention or what, but da bitch done it to herself. N if half you dumb niggas would jump to conclusions you’d see the facts don’t line up. But your quick to claim race hate crime like the white man owes you something. Grow the fu*k up.

You see Joe this is why we jump to conclusions. All this hatred that you are spewing is indicitive of the attitude that has been displayed in blantantly racist states like Louisana. If you cant articulate your opinion (or rage) without the use of the N word then it is apparent that there is still a big race issue, and if you think there is not, then you need to grow the XXXX up.

1) The attackers wrote KKK on her car, but it was not at the scene of the burning.
How did they know which car was hers?
2) Her mother says she was not raped or beaten.
How do you set someone on fire without them resisting or running away?
3) After the attack, she put the fire out herself with a hose and then called her mother after calling 911.
Generally, a person with burns over 60% of their body goes into shock and unconsciousness, unable to call anyone.

looking at these questions through the eyes of a former police officer, I believe we will find out soon that the victim knew her attackers, Otherwise, they wouldn’t have known which car was hers, and she would have run away or resisted when she was confronted.

I look forward to seeing the facts of this case come out, but my gut feeling is that we don’t know the true story and claiming this is a politically or racially motivated hate crime is premature. My big fear is that this young lady may have done this to herself in a cry for attention (or accidentally) as we have seen so many times in the last decade. Either way, I hope she has a speedy recovery and that we catch the perps of this awful crime.

It doesn’t matter if she was wearing the shirt or not for a woman black at that to get 3rd degree burns to be hospitalize why would it be another race but kkk that could have done this we have a black president that made history give it up people are still races today UNDERSTAND THIS PUT EVERY RACE THERE IS SIDE BY SIDE NOW CUT YOURSELF WE BLEED THE SAME COLOR SO FOR THE CLANS YOU ARE NOT NO BETTER THAN A BLACK PERSON!!!!!!!

She did it to herself and the author of this blog has yet to correct it. The author is nothing more than a race baiter and inciter that I think wanted the KKK part to be true. She jumped out without any facts or solid information on the story an incited more violence and hate. I’m glad this story is over and hopefully the author learned something from it, but I seriously doubt it.

****UPDATE: So now I’m MORE irate to read this updated article (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/24/sharmeka-moffitt-lied-racist-attack-set-herself-on-fire-louisiana-kkk-_n_2008690.html?1351089236). Being that I am in the mental health profession I can confirm there is a SERIOUS mental instability for ANYONE to begin to initiate this type of act. For the police department to even suggest this woman would do this to herself is beyond asinine. This is a poorly executed way to discredit the circumstance. And how do you NOT have evidence to identify as a hate crime with KKK written on a vehicle as well as NIGGER???! I mean forreal locals???! I”m sorry, for my immense passion, but reading this and came straight to your blog to provide the update….smh #NOJUSTICENOPEACE

I don’t know if you’ve been keeping up with the story, but the lighter and lighter fluid canister were recovered near the scene of the burning and there was one set of fingerprints on it. It belonged to Sharmeka Moffitt.

Her family has issued an apology:

“Our family is devastated to learn the circumstances surrounding our daughter’s injuries. While this was not the resolution we had expected, it is a resolution, and we appreciate the thorough investigation by the local and state police as well as federal agencies.

We are sincerely sorry for any problems this may have caused and wish to express our appreciation for the outpouring of love, prayers and support we have received from friends, acquaintances, church organizations and government officials.

Over the coming days and weeks, our focus will be on Sharmeka and her recovery. We ask that you continue to pray for her and for our family, and that you respect our privacy at this difficult time.”

So….there you have it. I am sad that this young lady did this to herself, but I am also very upset that even after we have known the facts for a week, there are still people who wish to make this a racist issue. I still read blog posts every day that re-tell the event as a young woman was raped and burned alive because she was wearing an Obama t-shirt by a gang of Tea Party members.

Mike, I thank you for your update as well. While, it appears to now be a Mental Health issue/concern per your provided update I still do not apologize for my opinions. I do agree that the “racism” piece was quickly identified to the case due to fact presented at the time of report. There are years of hurt and pain that go far beyond the progression years (yes, even in 2012). As an African American woman my plight is not to continue ethnic confusion, but I will be a righteous advocate with no fear of repercussion. But even I learn daily, especially with this recent election. As I sat in early vote line with other citizens it was a Caucasian woman advocating and stirring the crowd to keep President Barack Obama in office. While I’m I was not the most politically inclined individual I was touched in a sort of way. In that moment it was vital for me to see that the world is not all “white against black.” Although I never lived my life like that it has been the white elephant in many conversations. In regards to the Moffitt case I was aware of alleged self infliction, but am not quick to jump on those stories as it has been expressed in many prior cases, Jena 6 (being most popular) where original facts are attempted to be invalidated. But in this case Mike I can respect and acknowledge that it is possible and as I stated before Thank you for the update. I’d been looking myself and not come across this report. If you don’t mind can you identify the location to pass along to others.

I agree that jumping to conclusions is somewhat naive, however anytime there is news coverage on any event, that is what you get “CONCLUSIONS” this is why terms such as ‘allegedly’ and ‘supposedly’ are utilized in journalism.

Ed, it appears that you yourself are jumping to conclusions, this case is NOT closed, the police are stating “they believe” that this may have been a self inflicted injury, this has yet to be confirmed. So the author of this article can update it accordingly, however at this time, her article is as it should be based off conclusion like all NEWS ARTICLES and/or coverage.

Monica, you should go look at the article you referenced…it states “A shocking alleged assault, in which a 20-year-old Louisiana woman was supposedly set on fire and her car vandalized with racial slurs, may have been entirely fabricated, according to local authorities.” THIS IS YOUR OWN REFERENCE material and it speaks against everything you ladies and gentleman are making a point on.

I pray for the Moffitt family rather she were burned by others or self inflicted, the comments to this blog definitely show that shamefully today racism is alive and if it hasn’t reared its ugly head with Sharmeka it has truly done so with the aftermath thereof.